Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Academic Assessment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State raises SOL cut scores; Franklin County warns of sharp drops and outlines classroom responses
Summary
District leaders say higher state cut scores—intended to align SOLs with national NAEP standards—are likely to lower reported pass rates sharply; administration plans item analyses, deeper instruction (higher DOK), progress monitoring and professional development to prepare students.
Franklin County school leaders told the board that statewide increases to Standards of Learning (SOL) cut scores will likely produce major drops in reported pass and advanced rates and described steps the district will take to prepare.
Cara Bernard presented recent student-performance data and a preview of accountability changes. "Reading scores increased by 3%, math scores by 2%, and science by 1%," she said, and noted that Franklin County scored above the state average in those areas. But Bernard warned the board that the state is raising cut scores to better align SOL expectations with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and that the change will be consequential: "These changes will probably go into effect in the coming months and with that come some challenges for us," she said.
Using end-of-course reading as an example, Bernard showed that a prior pass rate of about 83.6% would drop to roughly 32.2% under the new cut scores based on last year’s performance. District staff recommended responses including item analysis, progress monitoring, raising Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels in instruction, and targeted teacher professional development to support inquiry-based tasks and writing across content areas.
Board members characterized the change as a "hard hit" and emphasized the need for clear communication to families so the community understands that lower percentages will reflect a higher state standard rather than a sudden decline in local teaching quality. Administration said accountability ratings would be released later in the month and staff would report back when those measures are available.
